FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION - PAGE 2

Newport News schools are reaching out to businesses to make learning more relevant to students and workplace needs. Newport News school officials have developed plans to connect high school students' career goals with classes related to those careers. More than half of all students in grades six through 12 take career and technical education courses. A program, called Career Pathways, will build on that by identifying four career options students could pursue while in high school: Business management and administration.

As part of a pilot program for those who fall behind, 10 Gloucester students earned a diploma and learned a trade. The 10 Gloucester High School seniors -- Class of 2005 -- who received diplomas Friday are pioneers in a program aimed at giving struggling students a second chance. For various reasons -- mostly personal -- the students fell a few credits shy of graduating with the bulk of their classmates in July. They then signed up for a pilot program called the Career Prep Academy.

In recognition of February as Career and Technical Education month, New Horizons Career and Technical Education Center will host open houses at both its campuses on Thursday from 5-7 p.m. The centers are located at 520 Butler Farm Road in Hampton and at 13400 Woodside Lane in Newport News. Information for prospective students and their parents will be available on construction technology, health occupations, advanced manufacturing, personal services, protective services, automotive technology and information technology.

Educators are working to help students identify careers, but personal motivation and misperceptions of the skilled trades might affect outcomes. Menchville High School boasts that about 60 percent of its graduates say they plan to attend a two- or four-year college. But for more than a decade, the Newport News school has cultivated close ties with businesses, because they know many students will not attend college or will postpone their education after high school. Menchville distinguishes itself from many other schools by maintaining a long-standing advisory council that includes business and community leaders.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine grew up working in his father's Kansas City welding and iron working shop. So he's the first to admit he has a personal interest in promoting technical training for Virginia's work force. Kaine visited New Horizons Regional Education Center Wednesday morning as part of his Cabinet Community Day. He made remarks prior to touring the Hampton facility and watching a robotic demonstration. Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott and state Del. Mamye BaCote joined all six local public school superintendents among the guests.

"Ready for What: Preparing Students for College, Careers, and Life After High School," published by Education Week, has sparked renewed recognition of what we know about high school graduates in the United States. Sponsored in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the June report, also known as Diplomas Count, notes: "Today's high school graduates are entering a world in which they'll need at least some college to gain access to decent-paying careers." Here are some average annual incomes taken from two national databases, the Labor Department's Occupational Information Network and the Census Bureau's American Community Survey: Someone with a high school diploma, GED, or less: $12,638 (taxi drivers, amusement and recreation attendants, counter and rental clerks, cashiers, waiters)

In uniform Navy Fireman Apprentice Diedra R. Jenkins has graduated from the Gas Turbine Systems Technician Electrical Course. Jenkins is the daughter of Pamela M. and Mark A. Jenkins of Newport News. She joined the Navy in April. Pfc. Brenda E. Brown has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. Brown is the daughter of Kim and Renzer M. Brown of Newport News. Airman Anthony J. Roberts has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio.

Tests may get all the attention, but educators say technical classes remain vital. Last week, as their peers at Phoebus High School shuffled into the first class of the morning, Verdonda Wright's class was already sizzling. Lynette Cooper monitored racks of cubed potatoes roasting in the oven. Harvey Belfield prepared to brown thick pork chops over a sweltering stovetop. Gerald Wydra, manager for the day and designer of the fall-theme menu, buzzed around the kitchen and the dining room to stir pots, fold napkins and peer over shoulders.

Envisioning 2004 Six areas that will command our attention There is much to grapple with in the coming year, but here today we address a half-dozen topics that are especially important. These are issues that the Editorial Board will return to repeatedly in 2004, because they are so integral to efforts to build a better future. EDUCATION Education is basic -- not as in back to basics, but as in basic to the durability and vigor of the community. Education is the bedrock -- of democratic government, of a region's ability to attract the employers that will make it prosper, of whether smart, capable people can find the jobs and ways of life that make them want to live in a community.